Miriam Cordon, owner of "Miriam Sunrise Deli" was a much loved cook and host. She was returning home after some travels last night - but she never got home. Jomarie Lanza tells us why:

She was known for her lively and friendly personality here at the Belmopan market Square, 54 year old Miram Cordon, endearingly known as "Pretty" had left on a trip with her son last week enroute to Mexico to visit relatives.

But upon returning to Belize, traveling back to Belmopan, Cordon's life was tragically taken away from her after a drunk driver crashed into the Chevrolet Equinox she was a passenger in.

Cordon was in the company of her son Joshua Magana, and a friend Angel Pastrana when they pulled over between miles 25 and 26 to render assistance to another RTA that occurred on the same stretch of the highway involving a Kia Soul.

That's when this Econoline van, likely driven by a drunk driver, slammed into the back of the Equinox causing it to slam into another vehicle in front of it.

Cordon died as a result of injuries she received in the massive impact. Her son and his friend survived.

And now her place of business, "Miriam Sunrise Deli" bears the large black bow here at the Belmopan Market. After 20 years of service, Her food stall neighbors say that she will be deeply missed.

Coreen Rudon, Friend of Deceased
"Me and Miriam are very good friends. I got to know her around the market because she is a business person just like me and from the time I got to know Miriam she is a very kind and loving and jovial person. Miriam was so good to us. Everyone around this market misses her so much today."

"The last time Miriam Spoke to us Thursday she was going to Mexico to visit her sister. So she came in here dressed up and she had on her hat and everything and I told her wow girl you look like a Mexican and she said yes you know how I do it and that was the last time we heard from Miriam."

"She just gone and we already miss her because as morning time as she comes we don't have to ask if Miriam comes we know she is here because as she comes she puts on her music and she has the place lively and bright you would hear her and she would pass and come to my kitchen and ask how are things today? Girl I'm right here then she would go to Miss Patty and ask her what's going on you know she visits us from kitchen to kitchen we would be talking with one another."

Her worker, Ruth Guzman says that she has known Miriam for years but recently started working for her 4 months ago. She says that her boss was not only known for her lovely personality, but also for her exceptional cooking.

Ruth Guzman, Worker of Deceased
"Lots of people know her, that she is a good woman and they will miss the black dinner she does but you see what happened we can't do nothing, can't help it."

"I know her she is a good woman, a business woman who works hard and she has nice ways."

"I felt bad because she is my good friend and I felt bad I never did, I didn't know what to say. I couldn't believe it, that she died because I expected her to come back well but to the destination she never made it that's the thing."

"She came out and she said she was going and she was dressed up and I even told her Ms Miriam you look like a good pretty American girl you look like a white woman I told her you look good and she told me Thanks Ruth and when she left I told her goodbye and to take care of yourself and she said I will."

And it was here as she tried to take care of others that she met her end. Cordon was the mother of two children.

The driver of the Econoline van, Leroy Nunez was detained pending charges for driving with alcohol concentration above the prescribed limit, manslaughter by negligence, causing death by careless conduct, and driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention.